Adaptable atomizer head



May 12, 1959 E.ILIPMA N v 2,886

QADAPTABLE ATOMIZER HEAD Filed May 5. 1954 INVENTOR. L ER LIPMd/J United States Patent ADAPTABLE ATOMIZER HEAD Elmer Lipman, Detroit, Mich.

Application May 5, 1954, Serial No. 427,757

1 Claim. (Cl. 215-41) The present invention pertains to a novel atomizer head designed particularly for application to receptacles containing perfume, toilet water or other liquid to be sprayed.

Such filled receptacles are sold in numerous neck sizes. The stores that sell the filled receptacles also sell separate atomizer heads for application to the receptacles. In order to fit all neck sizes, the stores must carry a large assortment of heads, and it has therefore been found feasible to carry only a limited number of sizes. Even with a limited assortment, charts have been provided to identify the head sizes with the more common neck sizes. If the chart is read correctly by the clerk, considerable time is required to find the correct head size in stock. More frequently, the chart is lost, and the clerk then has still greater difiiculty in fitting the receptacle with a head.

The principal object of the invention is to overcome these difliculties by eliminating the need of numerous head sizes in stock and also the need of a chart. This object is accomplished essentially by providing an atomizer head that fits all but a few extreme neck sizes.

More particularly, the head includes a dome-shaped cap of resilient material and an inserted liner of similar material. The liner will fit initially on the smallest common neck size, and both the liner and dome cap will stretch sufliciently to take all the common larger neck sizes. The open end of the cap has an inward flange to retain the liner, and the lower end of the liner is flared inwardly to slide readily over the neck of the container.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the following description and in the accompanying drawings in which:

' Figure 1 is a side elevation of the assembled receptacle and atomizer head;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

In Figure 1 is shown a dome-shaped cap 1 made of a resilient and manually deformable material such as natural or synthetic rubber. To the top of the cap is attached a fitting 2 which communicates laterally with a compressible bulb or pump 3. From the fitting 2 is suspended a metal tube 4 within the cap, and from the tube is suspended another tube 4' (Figure 2) extending into the receptacle on which the cap is mounted. On compressing the bulb several times, liquid is sprayed out of the discharge port 2' of the fitting 2. The construction thus described and the operation thereof are known in the art and therefore not illustrated or described in detail.

Into the dome 1 is inserted a liner 5 having an outer surface that engages the inner surface of the cap. The opening 6 in the liner extends through the upper end thereof to receive the tube 4 and to provide greater flexibility and elasticity for the purpose that will presently be described. It will be noted however that the liner has a greater wall thickness than the cap 1, so that the opening 6 is small enough to take the smallest common neck size. The material constituting the liner is also resilient and manually deformable and may consist of natural or synthetic rubber. It is desirable to wet the outer surface of the liner before inserting it in the cap.

The lower end of the cap 1 has an inward flange 7 that 2,886,199 Patented May 12, 1959 overlaps the lower end of the inserted liner to prevent separation of the parts without the use of force. The lower end of the liner is flared at 8 inwardly and upwardly toward the closed end of the cap. When the assembly is applied to a neck of substantially larger diameter than the opening 6, the flare 8 facilitates stretching of the opening 6 around the neck.

Since the liner is inserted without adhesive, it can readilybe pulled out to permit the cap alone to be applied effectively to the largest neck diameters. The inward flange 7 improves the engagement in such cases.

The liner is open at both ends as shown in Figure 2, thereby enabling attachment of the atomizer fitting 2 to the cap without interference with the liner and also permitting removal of the liner as set forth above. Further, in connection with this fitting, it is common practice for users to lift the entire device by the atomizer bulb. The cap, being separate from the liner and exerting pressure thereon, secures the liner to the bottle neck with such tightness that the liner does not slip off the neck when the device is lifted and swung by the bulb.

Without specifying neck dimensions, it may be stated that the liner 5 and cap 1 are capable of stretching sufficiently to fit the range of the more common neck diameters. Also, the more common necks are of such height as to be received fully along the length of the opening 6. The necks are usually screw threaded, and the tension of the liner on the threads is suflicient to prevent the liner from being easily pulled OK.

It will now be seen that, in accordance with the stated object of the invention, the device herein described eliminates the need of numerous atomizer head sizes with the attendant difliculties as set forth.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various alterations in the details of construction will be made without departing from the scope of the invention as indicated by the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A bottle cap formed to tightly fit over and seal against bottle necks and openings of a variety of sizes, and comprising a dome-like shaped cap having a top, a continuous side wall and open at the bottom, with a continuous annular flange formed on the side wall and extending inwardly of the cap; said cap being formed of an elastic, manually deformable, rubber-like material; a liner in the form of an open ended cylinder removably positioned within the cap with the outer wall surface of the liner being in surface to surface contact with the inner surface of the cap wall and extending from the inside of the cap top to the flange; said liner likewise being of an elastic, manually deformable, rubber-like material; wherein the cap with its liner may be manually forced over the neck of a bottle to thus deform the liner to correspond to the external contours of the bottle neck, but with the liner being uniformly tightly squeezed against the bottle by the pressure of the elastic cap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Oct. 30, 1944 

